US President Joe Biden today ordered more US troops to move into NATO member nations in eastern Europe after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised two separatist areas in Ukraine as independent areas. Biden said US will keep tightening sanctions against Russia. The first sanction is to stop Russia from raising funds from Western nations. Biden said he has "authorised additional movements of US forces" stationed in Europe to allies of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, or NATO, in the Baltics.
Here are live updates of the Ukraine crisis:
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday announced economic sanctions on Russia, saying Moscow's actions against Ukraine were "a further invasion of a sovereign state, and it is completely unacceptable."
Russia's entire banking sector is at risk if the Kremlin orders further invasion of Ukraine, a US official said Tuesday, with two of the country's banks so far targeted by US sanctions.
US President Joe Biden said Tuesday there was still time to avert the "worst case scenario" of a bloody full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine through diplomacy.
"There's no question that Russia is the aggressor, so we're clear eyed about the challenges we're facing," Biden said in a nationwide address from the White House.
US President Joe Biden said Tuesday that Russia has begun to invade Ukraine and plans to go much further than he had previously indicated. "This is the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine," the US leader said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin's stated plans to send troops deep into the Donbas region. "He's setting up a rationale to take more territory by force," Biden said in an address from the White House. (AFP)
US President Joe Biden said Tuesday there was still time to avert the "worst case scenario" of a bloody full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine through diplomacy. "There's no question that Russia is the aggressor, so we're clear eyed about the challenges we're facing," Biden said in a nationwide address from the White House. "Nonetheless, there is still time to avert the worst case scenario that will bring untold suffering to millions of people if they move as suggested." (AFP)
US President Joe Biden says he has "authorised additional movements of US forces" stationed in Europe to NATO allies in Baltics.
Biden says Russian 'invasion' of Ukraine is 'beginning'
Biden announces sanctions that cut Russia off from Western financing.
France on Tuesday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of failing to respect his country's commitments to key international accords including the 2014 Minsk agreement seeking a peaceful resolution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
"President Putin no longer honours Russia's signature," Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said after announcing a unanimous decision by the EU's 27 member states to impose new sanctions on Russia following its recognition of breakaway regions in Ukraine's east.
In the past, Moscow had honoured commitments to Western powers like "the Charter of Paris (which established the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe), the 1970s-era Helsinki Final Act... on the inviolability of borders, states' sovereignty, stability in Europe," Le Drian added.
"Those were based on Russia's signature," he said.
Former US president Donald Trump boasted of his close relationship with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, arguing that the Ukraine crisis would not have happened under his administration.
"If properly handled, there was absolutely no reason that the situation currently happening in Ukraine should have happened at all," he said in a statement.
"I know Vladimir Putin very well, and he would have never done during the Trump administration what he is doing now, no way!"
Russia is facing an international backlash after Putin ordered his forces into Ukraine to secure two breakaway enclaves.
The move came with tens of thousands of Russian soldiers on Ukraine's borders and amid warnings of an all-out invasion.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Moscow had recognized the independence of Ukraine's separatist regions within their administrative borders, including territory controlled by Kyiv.
"Well, we recognized them. And this means that we recognized all their fundamental documents, including the constitution," Putin told reporters. "And the constitution spells out the borders within the Donetsk and Lugansk regions at the time when they were part of Ukraine."
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that the "best" solution to the Ukraine crisis would be for Kyiv to drop its NATO membership ambitions and stay neutral.
"The best solution to the issue would be if the current Kyiv authorities themselves refused to join NATO and maintained neutrality," Putin said after upper house of parliament granted him permission to use the Russian army abroad.
Britain on Tuesday slapped sanctions on five Russian banks and three billionaires, in what Prime Minister Boris Johnson called "the first barrage" of measures in response to the Kremlin's actions in Ukraine.
Addressing the UK parliament hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into two Moscow-backed Ukrainian rebel regions, Johnson described the move as "a renewed invasion" and "pretext for a full-scale offensive".
It follows weeks of rising tensions around the crisis in Ukraine, after a massive build-up of Russian troops on its borders, and swiftly punctured Western diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday that Russian forces continue to ready for a potential attack on Ukraine after Moscow recognised two separatist regions as independent.
"Every indication is that Russia continues to plan for a full-scale attack on Ukraine," Stoltenberg told a media conference.
"We see that more and more of the forces are moving out of the camps and are in combat formations and ready to strike."
US President Joe Biden will address the nation Tuesday on Russia's latest moves against Ukraine, the White House said.
The address at 1:00 pm (1800 GMT) will provide "an update on Russia and Ukraine," the White House said, bringing forward the scheduled time by one hour.
Russian parliament's upper house on Tuesday voted to allow President Vladimir Putin to use the Russian army outside the country to support separatists in Ukraine.
A total of 153 Russian senators backed the decision, with no one voting against or abstaining.
President Vladimir Putin has asked Russia's upper house to approve the army's use outside the country to support separatists in Ukraine, deputy defence minister Nikolay Pankov told a session of the chamber.
"Negotiations have stalled. The Ukrainian leadership has taken the path of violence and bloodshed," a uniformed Pankov said during an ongoing unscheduled session of the Federation Council called at Putin's request
Six blasts could be heard on Tuesday in the centre of the separatist-held city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, a Reuters reporter said.
The origin of the explosions was not clear, but a diplomatic source told Reuters earlier that shelling had resumed on the line of contact between government and separatist forces in eastern Ukraine.
Britain will impose sanctions on five Russian banks and three "very high-net worth individuals" following the deployment of troops to two Moscow-backed regions of Ukraine, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Tuesday.
"The UK and our allies will begin to impose the sanctions on Russia that we have already prepared using the new and unprecedented powers granted by this House to sanction Russian individuals and entities of strategic importance to the Kremlin," Johnson told parliament.
Russia's parliament on Tuesday voted to ratify President Vladimir Putin's agreements with east Ukraine's separatist republics, a day after the Russian leader recognised their independence and ordered troops to be sent there.
Under the agreements, Russia will be able to send troops, set up military bases and jointly defend the territories of the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) and Lugansk People's Republic (LNR).
The lower house of the Russian parliament, the Duma, voted unanimously to approve the deals.
The voting ended in standing applause from MPs.
"This is the only way to protect people, stop the fratricidal war, prevent a humanitarian catastrophe and bring peace," the Duma's chairman, Vyacheslav Volodin, said in comments published on the parliament's website.
Britain on Tuesday summoned Russia's ambassador for talks, after the Kremlin ordered troops into two Moscow-backed rebel regions of Ukraine.
"This morning the foreign office has summoned the Russian ambassador," Boris Johnson's official spokesman told reporters, after the prime minister said London would "hit Russia very hard" with targeted sanctions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that he does not plan to restore Russia's empire, a day after he ordered Russian troops to be sent to eastern Ukraine and questioned Ukraine's sovereignty.
"We are watching Russia-Ukraine crisis closely. Russia-Ukraine impact is yet to be felt on trade; we are careful that our exporters do not suffer," said Nirmala Sitharaman.
When Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his decision to recognise two breakaway regions in east Ukraine as independent, NATO member and Black Sea neighbour Turkey swiftly criticised the move, but stopped short of announcing any punitive measures.
Turkey is in a unique bind: it has good ties with both Ukraine and Russia, but also opposes sanctions in principle, just as the West is poised to slap them on Moscow as long promised.
The crisis leaves President Tayyip Erdogan balancing those diplomatic relations along with his duties within NATO, while also protecting Turkey's beleaguered economy from back-to-back shocks after a currency crisis in December.
Ukraine's foreign ministry on Tuesday said it was recalling its top envoy to Moscow for "consultations" following Russia's recognition of Kyiv's two breakaway regions.
The ministry said in a statement that interim charge d'affaires Vasyl Pokotylo was returning to Kyiv in connection with Russia's "illegal decision to recognise the 'independence'" of the separatist regions of Lugansk and Donetsk.
The United States will announce potentially severe new sanctions and export controls against Russia on Tuesday in response to Moscow's decision to recognize two breakaway regions of Ukraine as independent and send troops there.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday told Russia's defense ministry to deploy forces into the two regions to "keep the peace," defying Western warnings that such a step would be illegal and wreck peace negotiations.
"The United States will impose sanctions on Russia for this clear violation of international law and Ukraine sovereignty and territorial integrity," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told reporters after a U.N. Security Council meeting on Monday evening.
"I have received a request from the foreign ministry to examine the question of breaking off relations between Ukraine and the Russian Federation," said Zelensky, adding he would now "examine and work on this issue".
Stressing that India stands for peace, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said the Russia-Ukraine dispute should be resolved through talks.
When asked about India's stance, he said, "We want peace. We have always been in favour of world peace." India has called for restraint on all sides as tensions between Russia and NATO escalated further after Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday recognised the independence of two states of Ukraine.
The Indian embassy in Kyiv is organising additional flights out of Ukraine in view of the continued tensions between Ukraine and Russia, the embassy informed on Tuesday.
This advisory was issued by the Indian embassy amid escalating situation at the Russia-Ukraine border.
"In view of the continued high level of tensions and uncertainties of the current situation in Ukraine, additional flights are being organised," the Indian embassy said in an advisory.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's Ill-Timed Russia Visit TomorrowPakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is set to begin his two-day maiden visit to Russia from Wednesday, the first such trip by a Pakistani prime minister in 23 years.
Iran urged "restraint" from both Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday while blaming the United States and NATO for the sharp escalation of tensions.
President Vladimir Putin announced late Monday that Russia recognised the independence of Ukraine's separatist-held Donetsk and Lugansk regions, paving the way for the deployment of Russian troops.
Moscow's move triggered international condemnation and a promise of targeted sanctions from the United States and the European Union.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran calls on all parties to exercise restraint and avoid any action that could aggravate tensions," a foreign ministry statement said.
Ministry spokesman Said Khatibzadeh added that "unfortunately, the interventions and provocative actions of NATO and mainly the US have complicated the situation in the region.
"We are following the issues related to this country with sensitivity."
#UkraineCrisis | "There is still place for diplomatic negotiations but the time frame for it is getting tight. If there's any talk that has to happen, it must happen every quickly over the next few days": Bhaswati Mukherjee, Former Ambassador pic.twitter.com/DAOGJOdyfe
- NDTV (@ndtv) February 22, 2022
Indian Embassy In Ukraine Again Advises Indian Students To ReturnThe Indian embassy in Ukraine on Tuesday once again asked Indian students to leave that country temporarily, amid escalating tensions following Russia recognising the independence of two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine.
About queries by Indian students about online classes by medical universities in Ukraine, the embassy said it is engaged with respective authorities on the matter.
"The embassy of India is receiving a large number of calls asking about the confirmation of online classes by Medical Universities. In this regard, as informed earlier, the embassy is engaged with respective authorities for streamlining of the education process for Indian students," it said.
"India wants solution through talks, and peace to be established. I am sure solution will emerge following talks between Russian President Putin and US President Biden. India is in favour of maintaining international peace: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on #UkraineCrisis
- NDTV (@ndtv) February 22, 2022
(ANI) pic.twitter.com/FQfsKh6KDk
Vladimir Putin Orders Army To "Maintain Peace" In Ukraine's Pro-Russian RegionsPresident Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered Russia's military to act as peacekeepers in two breakaway regions of Ukraine, just hours after he recognised them as independent.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has already begun so Britain will impose sanctions on Russia, a senior British minister said on Tuesday as Prime Minister Boris Johnson chaired an emergency government response meeting over the Ukraine crisis.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of troops to two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine after recognising them as independent on Monday, accelerating a crisis the West fears could unleash a major war.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke today with China's State Councillor & Foreign Minister Wang Yi about development in the DPRK & Russia's aggression against Ukraine. He underscored the need to preserve Ukraine's sovereignty & territorial integrity: US Department of State pic.twitter.com/dTJyekh6Zg
- ANI (@ANI) February 22, 2022
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday recognised the independence of two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine - Donetsk, and Lugansk. The move has prompted several countries in the West, including the US, to impose sanctions on Russia. The two self-proclaimed rebel republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, whose independence Moscow recognised on Monday, are situated in the rust belt in eastern Ukraine. They are collectively part of the Donbass region of Eastern Ukraine.
The deployment of what Russia called a peacekeeping operation in eastern Ukraine is "nonsense" and Moscow's recognition of the breakaway regions as independent is part of its pretext for war, the United States told the UN Security Council on Monday.
The consequences of Russia's actions "will be dire - across Ukraine, across Europe, and across the globe," US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told the emergency meeting of the 15-member council.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told the French and German leaders on Monday that he planned to sign a decree recognising two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent.
Here's a look at the implications for the wider crisis, in which the United States says Russia may be poised to invade Ukraine with a force of up to 190,000 troops it has massed near its neighbour's borders.
Oil prices jumped more than $2 to a fresh seven-year high on Tuesday after Moscow ordered troops into two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, escalating a crisis that western leaders have warned could spark a war.
US and European officials condemned the moves, but a Biden administration official said Russia's military action did not as yet constitute an invasion that would trigger a broader sanctions package.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison slammed as "nonsense" Putin's claims that the troops being sent into eastern Ukraine were peacekeepers.
"We cannot have threats of violence being used to seek to advantage nation's positions over others," he said.
"That is not a peaceful world order that would be achieving that. And so it's important that like-minded countries who denounce this sort of behaviour do stick together."
Moscow said Tuesday Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was still ready for talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, after President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine's two separatist regions.
Special Air India Flight Leaves For Ukraine To Bring Back Indians As Tensions Escalate
- NDTV (@ndtv) February 22, 2022
Read more: https://t.co/7cTeWSXWJh pic.twitter.com/dtxsomis8n
US authorities have warned Russia not to invade Ukraine and urged both countries to return to a set of agreements designed to end a separatist war by Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine.
Here is a look at the agreements, which were signed in Minsk in 2014 and 2015.
Beijing -- one of Russia's closest allies -- did not take sides, instead calling for all parties to "avoid any action that may fuel tensions".
"The current situation in Ukraine is a result of many complex factors," China's UN ambassador Zhang Jun told the UN security council.
Japan's prime minister Fumio Kishida said that Russia's actions violated "Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and cannot be tolerated."
"If an invasion occurs, we will coordinate a strong response, including sanctions, coordinating with the G7 and the international community while closely monitoring the situation," he said.
NDTV's Vishnu Som explains the top developments in the #UkraineCrisis so far pic.twitter.com/LRbvn3kzXT
- NDTV (@ndtv) February 22, 2022
Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, the European Union's two most senior figures, posted identical statements on Twitter.
Condemning Putin's move as "a blatant violation of international law", they added: "The EU and its partners will react with unity, firmness and with determination in solidarity with Ukraine."
#NewsAlert | "More than 20,000 Indian students and nationals live and study in different parts of Ukraine, including in its border areas. The well-being of Indians is of priority to us": India at UNSC meet on #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/tZJhvUa5cj
- NDTV (@ndtv) February 22, 2022
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Putin's decision "further undermines Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, erodes efforts towards a resolution of the conflict, and violates the Minsk Agreements, to which Russia is a party.
"Moscow continues to fuel the conflict in eastern Ukraine by providing financial and military support to the separatists. It is also trying to stage a pretext to invade Ukraine once again," he added.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that Moscow was breaking the Minsk peace agreements that it signed in 2014.
"With its decision, Russia is breaking all its promises to the world community," she said.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson denounced Putin's decision as "a flagrant violation of the sovereignty and integrity of the Ukraine".
A "very robust package of sanctions" would be triggered "with the first toecap of a Russian incursion or Russian invasion", he added.
#UkraineCrisis | "Diplomacy can still be given a lot of chance. US sanctions are only on rebel regions so far. Putin has maintained that Russia won't invade Ukraine. It's important for the West to look at dignity, self esteem of Russia": Virendra Gupta, Former Ambassador pic.twitter.com/YXYeobu4kL
- NDTV (@ndtv) February 22, 2022
#UkraineCrisis | Donetsk, Lugansk: Ukraine's Breakaway Regions With Close Ties To Russia
- NDTV (@ndtv) February 22, 2022
Read more: https://t.co/AsQlNLWVnH pic.twitter.com/08tE2BSaNq
Russia- Ukraine Crisis: As Tensions Rise, Ukrainians At Frontline Brace For Russian InvasionDefying the threat of Western sanctions, Vladimir Putin on Monday recognised the independence of Ukraine's two separatist regions of Donetsk and Lugansk.
China on Monday called for restraint by "all sides" to avoid further escalation in the Ukraine crisis, urging a diplomatic solution during an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting.
Voicing "deep concern" over the escalation of tension along the Russia-Ukraine border, India has told the UN Security Council that the immediate priority is de-escalation of tensions, taking into account the "legitimate" security interests of all countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed decrees to recognise Ukraine's regions of "Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics" as "independent", escalating the tension in the region and increasing fears of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Putin has also ordered troops into eastern Ukraine in what the Kremlin called a "peacekeeping" mission.
Addressing an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday night, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said, "We have been closely following the evolving developments relating to Ukraine, including developments along the eastern border of Ukraine and the related announcement by the Russian Federation.
India today said that the escalations of tensions between Russia and Ukraine were a matter of great concern. At a emergency meeting called by the United Nations Security Council, India said that the immediate priority should be deescalation of the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
"We can't afford a military escalation. We call for restraint on all sides. We're convinced that this issue can only be resolved through diplomatic dialogue," TS Tirumurti, India's Permanent Representative to United Nations, said at the UN Security Council Meeting.
Russia-Ukraine Crisis: US Will Act "Swiftly And Decisively": Biden Assures Ukraine CounterpartPresident Joe Biden told his Ukrainian counterpart Voldymyr Zelensky on Monday that the United States stands by Ukraine's territorial integrity after Russia said it was recognizing the independence of a swath of eastern Ukraine.
The US ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Monday called it "nonsense" that Vladimir Putin claimed his troops ordered to eastern Ukraine would be peacekeepers.
Explainer: What Will Russian Recognition Of Breakaway Ukraine Regions Mean?Russian President Vladimir Putin told the French and German leaders on Monday that he planned to sign a decree recognising two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent.
#BREAKING UN denounces 'order to deploy Russian troops into eastern Ukraine' pic.twitter.com/AVMo7tBOvB
- AFP News Agency (@AFP) February 22, 2022
The United States took a wait-and-see attitude Monday to President Vladimir Putin's order for Russian troops to deploy in separatist areas of Ukraine, saying that talks remain possible "until the tanks roll."
President Joe Biden imposed sanctions on the two Russian-backed areas in eastern Ukraine's Donbass region.
But a senior US official declined to characterize whether Putin's order for Russian armed forces to conduct "peacekeeping" there counts as an invasion, thereby triggering much wider and more severe Western sanctions against Moscow.
China's embassy in Ukraine on Tuesday warned Chinese nationals and businesses in Ukraine against venturing to "unstable" areas, but stopped short of telling them to consider leaving the country as many other nations have advised their own citizens.
Accelerating a crisis the West fears could spark a war, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the deployment of troops to two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine to "keep the peace" after recognising them as independent.
A Reuters witness saw columns of military vehicles including tanks in the early hours of Tuesday on the outskirts of Donetsk, the capital of one of the breakaway east Ukraine regions, after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised the regions as independent states.
Japan will likely join U.S.-led sanctions on Russia, including a ban on chip and other key technology exports, should President Vladimir Putin order an invasion of Ukraine, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Tuesday.
Putin had "made a clear choice to break his commitments," said the official, adding that discussions would begin on Tuesday in Brussels on drawing up the sanctions.
In an earlier statement, Macron had condemned Putin's move and called for targeted European sanctions against Russia.
The United States and allies including France have requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council later Monday on Russia's recognition of separatist territories in Ukraine as independent, diplomats told AFP.
The countries behind the request for the meeting, based on a letter from Ukraine to the UN, also include the United Kingdom, Ireland and Albania, the same sources said.
President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered Russia's military to act as peacekeepers in two breakaway regions of Ukraine, just hours after he recognised them as independent.
In two official decrees, Putin instructed the defence ministry to assume "the function of peacekeeping" in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
"The Secretary-General is greatly concerned by the decision by the Russian Federation related to the status of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine," his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
proclaimed 'Donetsk People's Republic' and 'Luhansk People's Republic'," NATO Chief Stoltenberg said in a statement.
"This further undermines Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, erodes efforts towards a resolution of the conflict, and violates the Minsk Agreements, to which Russia is a party," he added.
Russia is reneging on its engagements to the global community through its recognition of rebel-held areas in east Ukraine as independent, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Monday.
President Joe Biden will issue an executive order to "prohibit new investment, trade, and financing by US persons to, from, or in the so-called DNR and LNR regions of Ukraine," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday slammed Russia's recognition of separatist republics as "a flagrant violation of the sovereignty and integrity of the Ukraine".
Russian President Vladimir Putin's recognition of the independence of pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine is "a repudiation of the Minsk process and the Minsk agreements," Johnson said, referring to a faltering Ukraine peace deal.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Putin's move "signals an end to the Minsk process and is a violation of the United Nations Charter.
"We will not allow Russia's violation of its international commitments to go unpunished," Truss tweeted.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday slammed Russia's recognition of separatist republics as "a flagrant violation of the sovereignty and integrity of the Ukraine", news agency AFP reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin's recognition of the independence of pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine is "a repudiation of the Minsk process and the Minsk agreements," Johnson said, referring to a faltering Ukraine peace deal.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed friendship and aid agreements with Ukraine separatist leaders.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Russia's separatist move is a "violation of Ukraine integrity".
Russian President Vladimir Putin today recognised the independence of eastern Ukraine's separatist republics. The Kremlin said he had informed the French and German leaders of his decision.
Government troops in front-line trenches in Ukraine's east said on Monday heavy weapons fire from Russian-backed separatists had intensified to provoke all-out conflict amid fears of Russia seeking a pretext for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reported. Ukrainian troops have battled Russian-backed forces in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions bordering Russia since 2014 in a conflict that Ukraine's leadership says has killed 15,000 people. A ceasefire deal in 2015 staunched the worst fighting, but shelling has intensified along the "line of contact" since last week as Russia has massed forces along Ukraine's borders.
French President Emmanuel Macron has convened his country's defence and security council for a meeting Monday to assess the situation in Ukraine, his office said. The gathering of the council, headed by Macron and featuring a small number of key ministers, comes after the Kremlin said that Russian President Vladimir Putin would recognise the independence of Ukraine's eastern breakaway republics, news agency AFP reported.
President Vladimir Putin sat behind a table in the Kremlin Monday as his top officials one by one made impassioned speeches urging him to recognise the independence of east Ukraine's rebel republics. The highly unusual Kremlin security council meeting was unscheduled, lasting around 90 minutes and was broadcast on state television after it had already taken place. Putin presided behind a grand table, the Russian flag and long blue drapes behind him. His officials sat at a distance across one of the Kremlin's grand marble-covered rooms. A blue carpet across the hall led up to Putin.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned remarks by President Vladimir Putin that Russia could recognise two Kremlin-backed breakaway Ukrainian regions as independent, his office said on Monday, news agency Reuters reported. Scholz's office said in a statement the German chancellor also told Putin during a phone call that any such move would amount to a "one-sided breach" of the Minsk agreements designed to end a separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Israel is moving its embassy in Kiev to Lviv in western Ukraine, the foreign ministry said Monday in a statement. Several Western countries have also transferred diplomats from Kiev to Lviv, located near the border with Poland, in anticipation of Russian military action. "Following a situation assessment... Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has decided to instruct staff at the Israeli embassy in Kiev to move to consular offices opened in the city of Lviv in western Ukraine," the ministry said in a statement, AFP reported.
The United Nations on Monday urged all parties to refrain from taking "unilateral action" that would undermine Ukraine's territorial integrity, minutes before Russia announced that President Vladimir Putin will recognize Ukraine's rebel territories as independent. "We would encourage everyone involved to refrain from any unilateral decision or unilateral action that could undermine the territorial integrity of Ukraine," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, AFP reported.
The European Union will move to impose sanctions on Russia should President Vladimir Putin recognise Ukraine's separatist territories as independent, the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Monday. "We call upon President Putin to respect international law and the Minsk agreements and expect him not to recognise the independence of Lugansk and Donetsk oblasts," Borrell said after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, AFP reported.
"In the near future, the president plans to sign the order," the Kremlin said. It added that French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had "expressed disappointment" over the decision in phone calls with Putin, news agency AFP reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will recognise the independence of eastern Ukraine's separatist republics, the Kremlin said in a statement Monday, adding that he had informed the French and German leaders of his decision.
